Wichita, known the world over for aviation, is witnessing the emergence of a new signature industry: arts.

The groundwork for a thriving artistic community has been in place for years, with museums, galleries and sculptures peppered throughout Wichita. Now, the city is seeing a surge of interest – and willingness to take action – in cultivating an enclave of creative expression.

The organization ROK ICT! dedicates itself to fostering a positive attitude toward, and activity within, the Wichita arts community.

Jared Brickman, a musician who relocated from New York, founded the Web site ROK ICT! to be driven by user-generated content to make arts-related event information in Wichita easily accessible. Today, the volunteer-powered organization works to promote artistic awareness and facilitate community events throughout the area arts scene, with local government and educational systems, and beyond to the surrounding region.

“We’d like to see the arts and music industry really flourish in Wichita, to the point that artists, musicians and filmmakers could make a working wage, so there’s truly an industry
here,” Brickman says.

Rocking Wichita
The organization is modeling their efforts after the transformation of New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, Brickman says, which was an eclectic den of humble artists in the 1950s and has evolved today into one of the nation’s trendiest – and most affluent – arts districts.

To that end, in spring 2009 ROK ICT! kicked off First Fridays, a free monthly live music crawl following in the footsteps of the city’s popular Final Fridays art crawl. Both events invite the public downtown to experience art in traditional and nontraditional settings, regularly drawing thousands of people to participating venues. Downtown watering holes such as The Anchor and Oeno Wine Bar host local bands for the First Friday event, while CityArts and other galleries draw art lovers on the last Friday of every month.

“We know that typically arts and music have been the first step in revitalizing downtowns,” Brickman says. “You look at any really successful city, and you’ll see a thriving arts community.”

Art as Stimulus
While art for art’s sake is certainly a valuable cultural commodity in the city, the arts as an economic driver is not an idea unique to ROK ICT!. The theme is, in fact, a common refrain in Wichita’s artistic renaissance.

“Art is really good business,” says David Murano, assistant director for CityArts, a program housed in Wichita’s Division of Arts and Cultural Services. “The different organizations and artistic outlets provide jobs for all sorts of people in the industry, and they also bring people who buy tickets, come to events, buy artwork and so forth.”

CityArts is on the front lines of the orchestrated government effort to promote artistic awareness and creation. The organization’s facility on North Mead Street showcases local artwork and also offers art classes for children and adults, as well as a nine-week arts camp for kids every summer.

Economic factors aside, the arts community doesn’t dispute that the expression of creativity is a cornerstone of any healthy city.

“It all adds to the quality of life of Wichita, with a whole bunch of different things for people to come and experi­ence,” Murano says. “A lot of it is inexpensive or free, so if you live here, you have a lot of opportunities to come and experience or participate in the arts.”